A day of drinking in his garage on a couch with a 16-round clip in his Smith & Wesson 2D9 handgun has landed a 49-year-old Cheyenne man in hot water with the law and neighbors.
His vacuum and a car radiator also aren't doing well.
Hector Gomez-Sanchez faces charges of aggravated assault and battery and reckless endangering with a firearm after allegedly firing four rounds from his pistol, including pointing the weapon at a neighbor on a motorized one-wheel scooter.
Cheyenne Circuit Court records reveal a warrant was issued for Gomez-Sanchez’s arrest on Thursday and Laramie County jail records show he’s been arrested.
A Cheyenne Police Department affidavit states an officer responded to the 4100 block of Gunsmoke Road about 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday after a 21-year-old neighbor reported that Gomez-Sanchez had fired a shot as he rode by the house.
The shot struck Gomez-Sanchez’s own garage floor.
The 21-year-old told police that he took cover behind a truck southwest of the home and that another round was fired in an unknown direction.
Pointed At Him
The neighbor told police he got back on his scooter and tried to ride back to his house, and could see Gomez-Sanchez sitting in his garage.
“Gomez-Sanchez then stood up from the couch, ‘racked’ the slide of the handgun and pointed it at (him),” the neighbor told police. “Seeing Gomez-Sanchez point the handgun at him caused (the neighbor) to fall from the one wheel resulting in (him) ripping his pants and breaking his phone.”
The officer noted in the affidavit that the neighbor had ripped pants and a broken phone.
The 21-year-old ran to his home and told his 27-year-old roommate about the incident, and they tried to retrieve the one-wheel and other items the 21-year-old had dropped at the end of their driveway.
They told police Gomez-Sanchez then came out of his garage unarmed and got into a conversation with the pair.
The affidavit states that he “became upset” with the 21-year-old as he shook hands with him and a “brief altercation” took place. As the two younger neighbors walked quickly back to their own home they heard Gomez-Sanchez used an English profanity and then called them “cabrones,” the affidavit states.
“As (the two neighbors) reached the end of their driveway, they heard two more gunshots,” the affidavit states. The 27-year-old "advised he saw dust flying out of the garage of Gomez-Sanchez’s home as they ran into their residence.”
The 21-year-old told police he was afraid for his life.
Multiple Homes Nearby
The Cheyenne police officer noted in the affidavit that multiple homes are located along the 4100 and 4000 blocks of Gunsmoke Road, and many were occupied at the time of the shooting.
An investigation in Gomez-Sanchez’s garage located the handgun, the 16-round magazine and 12 rounds in the magazine. Four spent shell casings “with various bullet fragments” were also found in the garage, the affidavit states.
“Officers noted two bullet strikes to a vacuum in the southeast corner of the garage, one bullet strike to the concrete in the southeast corner of the garage, and two large cans of alcoholic beverages located on the couch,” the affidavit states.
The affidavit says police found bullet fragments in the driveway and a silver 2006 Nissan four-door passenger car “had presumably been struck by gunfire, as it was found to be freshly leaking radiator fluid.”
The home of the younger men was located to the southeast of Gomez-Sanchez’s garage, the affidavit states. A video taken from another neighbor’s residence confirmed their accounts to police.
The video shows the 21-year-old riding the one-wheel and a shot heard at 6:24 p.m. At 6:26 p.m., a second gunshot was heard, and the video captured the 21-year-old attempting to ride his device back home, fall, and run into the home, the affidavit states.
The two roommates then appeared and could be seen trying to recover items while Gomez-Sanchez walked out and talked to the pair in his driveway.
As the 21-year-old and Gomez-Sanchez shook hands, there was an altercation.
“Gomez-Sanchez then walks to his garage and (the neighbors) return in the direction of their home,” the affidavit states. “At approximately 18:38 (6:38 p.m.) two more gunshots can be heard and (the neighbors) can be seen running to their home.”
The aggravated assault and battery charge carries a potential penalty of 10 years in prison and $10,000 fine, while the reckless endangering charge is punishable by up to a year in jail.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
